Niblett's Bluff in the War Between the States by Michael Dan Jones

This is the history of General Alfred Mouton's regiment, the 18th Louisiana Infantry, which he led throughout the War for Southern Independence, from Shiloh to Mansfield. Click on image for more information.

Confederate Guards Response Battalion

History of the one of the hardest fighting Louisiana units during the War for Southern Independence.

1st Louisiana Zouaves

This is the story of one of the most unique and famed Louisiana units in the War for Southern Independence, the 1st Louisiana Zouaves . Made up largely of foreigners from many countries, the men wore the gaudy French Zouave uniform and fought with a fierce determination for the new Southern Republic.

Dick Dowling and the Jefferson Davis Guard

This is the story of one of the most famous and celebrated Confederate units. Click on image for details.

Confederate States Rangers of the 10th Louisiana Infantry

Company K in the War for Southern Independence

Lt. Col. King Bryan of Hood's Texas Brigade

Freedom Fighter for Texas and Southern Independence

The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou by Michael Dan Jones

This is a concise history of the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi from December 26-29, 1862. Also covered are the preliminary cavalry raids of generals Earl Van Dorn and Nathan Bedford Forrest. The book contains maps, photographs and illustrations, bibliography and index.

9th Battalion Louisiana Infantry

This is the history of the 9th Battalion Louisiana Infantry which fought at the Battle of Baton Rouge and the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana in the War for Southern Independence. The unit took part in the famous charge of Allen's Brigade at Baton Rouge. The men of the unit were fighting in defense of their own home area since most were from East Baton Rouge and nearby parishes. Click on image for more information.

Mouton's Charge at the Battle of Mansfield and the Red River Campaign

This is the story of the famous attack at the Battle of Mansfield, La., April 8, 1864, led by Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton.

The Vicksburg 28th Louisiana Infantry

Click picture for more information.

The Tiger Rifles: The Making of a Louisiana Legend

The Toughest Fighting Men in the Confederate Army

The Battle of Calcasieu Pass

A history of the May 6, 1864 battle in Southwest Louisiana between two Union gunboats and a diverse group of Confedrates. Click photo for more information.

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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

BOOK REVIEW: Robert E. Lee: Lessons in Leadership

I found Robert E. Lee: Lessons in Leadership by Noah Andre Trudeau (Palgrave Macmillan, New York, N.Y. 2009) to be an excellent survey of the life of that great Southern-American general. This book is a concise summary of the life and military career of Lee, and avoids getting bogged down or lost in a lot of distracting details.

I also like Noah Andre Trudeau's writing style and his completely fair historical analysis. There are all too many modern historians and biographers who come at a subject with a theory they want to prove. They then cherry-pick from details that seem to support their case and end up with a distorted and unfair work. That is not the case here. Trudeau is my ideal of how a professional historian should write about a subject. He is fair, thorough, interesting, and has no modern-day axe-to-grind. The author seems to understand how important it is to evaluate the subject within the context of his own time.

The book covers the entirety of Lee's life, from his birth at Stratford Hall, Virginia in 1807, to his death in Lexington, Virginia. I feel the strength of the book is the author's evaluation of the major campaigns Lee was in during the War For Southern Independence. It is a really good refresher on the major decisions Lee had to make, the things he was aware of at the time, and pluses and minuses of those decisions. Hindsight is always 20-20, so it is good to know how important the contemporary fog-of-war is in any battle. Lee knew the value of intelligence, and was always at his best when he had a wealth of information at hand before he made his final decision. That is why he was so disgruntled about Gen. JEB Stuart's absence to the critical buildup period prior to the Battle of Gettysburg, as Trudeau points out. Gettysburg was Lee's first major battle without Stonewall Jackson, and he was additionally hampered by Stuart not being available. Lee always had complete confidence in the information Stuart brought him.

The book is also well-written, enjoyable to read and has a fast-moving pace. It is the type of book I can really get into and find hard to put down. The maps, supplied by Trudeau himself, were another important help to the reader to better visualize what's being written about.